Some Wives’ Tales Really Work

The age-old recommendation to drink cranberry juice for a bladder infection proved true in a study from Boston University School of Medicine (and Ocean Spray Cranberries). In this placebo-controlled, double-blind study, women with a history of urinary tract infections (UTIs) consumed daily either one 240 milliliter serving of cranberry beverage or a placebo. After 24 weeks, there were 67 UTIs in the placebo group, but only 39 UTI’s in the cranberry group, an almost 42% difference.

Proanthocyanidins in cranberries inhibit the adherence of pathogens, such as E. Coli, to the walls of the bladder and decrease UTI recurrences by 30% to 40%, state researchers at the Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam.